Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
May 1, 2018/in Picture Book 5-8 Infant/Junior /by Ellie
BfK Rating:
BfK 230 May 2018
Reviewer: Elizabeth Schlenther
ISBN: 978-1910328330
Price: £9.78
Publisher: Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd
Genre: Picture Book
Age Range: 5-8 Infant/Junior
Length: 32pp
Buy the Book

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me

Author: Eloise GreenfieldIllustrator: Ehsan Abdollahi

In this unusual picture book, we meet Thinker, a small black and white dog who belongs to Jace.   Both are members of a black family consisting of mum, dad, and sister Kimmy, but what makes this book of poems so unusual is that Thinker can talk, but his talking only consists of reciting his own poems.  Jace is a poet too, and together they write all sorts of happy poems about the family, about school, about Jace’s sister Kimmy, and some that are philosophical too, about life in general and why things are as they are.  The rhyming is unusual – some free verse, but with lots of internal rhymes, and they dance with rhythm and meaning.  One is a haiku, and another is a rap.  The book is a joyful story, and the highly engaging illustrations – collages, created with handmade and hand-coloured paper – are richly evocative.   The publisher and both the author and illustrator are interested in portrayals of black culture and family life, and Ms Greenfield has been winning awards in the US for her children’s books for many years.  This is her first in the UK.  When Jace takes Thinker to school for pet day, he is a bit nervous that Thinker might talk, but when he does – because he can’t keep the poem inside himself any longer – the whole class and all the pets in it erupt with laughter and pleasure.  We, too, will erupt with pleasure when reading this delightful book!

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Ellie http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Ellie2018-05-01 17:14:342021-04-09 17:16:12Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Margaret McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu win the 2025 Branford Boase Award

July 9, 2025

‘The magic of poetry by heart’ Champions of the 2025 National Poetry Speaking Competition Announced

July 8, 2025
IBC

New National Year of Reading launching January 2026

July 8, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Cake Grandmas From Mars
Scroll to top